Kanundrumz Bakery: The people have spoken

UA President Judy Bonner (left) presents Lisa Kirsch, founder of Kanundrumz Bakery in Mobile, with the inaugural "People's Choice" Award during the Women's Business Center's recent South Alabama Successful Small Business of the Year ceremony.

MOBILE, Alabama – When Lisa Hirsch’s newly-developed sensitivities to gluten, dairy, eggs and soy threatened to obliterate some of her favorite family traditions, the self-professed lifelong foodie saw an opportunity.

The fact that the six-month-old company she formed as a result was recently crowned the Women’s Business Center’s inaugural South Alabama Successful Small Business of the Year “People’s Choice” Award indicates she wasn’t the only one.

“I’m highly motivated to have longevity and a really high quality of life, but so many of the products available for people with food sensitivities are dry, and a lot of them tend to be flat, too,” said Hirsh, who launched Kanundrumz Bakery April 19, the name itself a tongue-in-cheek nod to the difficulties people in her dietary position face on a daily basis.

The business was actually born, she said, after she prepared four different custom desserts for a holiday gathering and a family member remarked that there must be a cottage industry waiting to be tapped.

Today, Kanundrumz’ products can be found online, as well as in Mobile area eateries such as Carpe Diem, Redbar Espresso, Satori, Serda's, Virginia's Health Foods, Chasing Fresh, Fairhope Health Foods, Greer's Fairhope Market, Windmill Market and The Coffee Loft. The company is also available in Tuscaloosa, Birmingham and Atlanta with Montgomery next on the list of new markets and the Florida panhandle a possibility.

“It’s been so well-received, and I think it just speaks to the void that existed,” Hirsch said, noting Kanundrumz’ products are also peanut-free, making them free of the five major allergens most-often found in baked goods.

“It’s an issue of giving people something that’s not just satisfying, but gratifying,” she said.

“You shouldn’t have to sacrifice flavor for health, and you certainly shouldn’t feel deprived,” she said.

As for the People’s Choice award, Hirsch said it validates everything she’s trying to do with the company.

“It just really warms my heart. It makes me feel really good to see how many people sincerely support what I’m doing, and it shows my (potential investors) that the demand is definitely there,” she said.